Category Archives: Acne Treatment

Nearly twenty years ago, Dr. Turkle established an aesthetics department within our surgical practice because she realized there are some problems that are better handled with less invasive treatment. In addition, it is her belief that there are many products and treatments that really work and that can delay the need for surgery or prolong one’s investment in surgery.

Your skin can’t glow if it is unhealthy, sun-damaged or aging. Professional skin care treatments and products can clean dead skin cells and debris from your skin, reduce pore size, reduce redness and hyperpigmentation, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, tighten lax skin, reduce hair and more. More complex problems such as rosacea and extremely sensitive skin can be treated as well.

Just as important is that skin care products that really work contain more active ingredients and penetrate more deeply into the skin than those you buy over-the-counter.

The licensed medical aestheticians at Phases Skin Care and Laser Center are the best trained and best qualified professionals in the state. They are specifically trained to function in a medical setting, under the supervision of board-certified plastic surgeons, to offer advanced therapies and the latest in aesthetic treatments and products. They receive regular continuing education to keep them up-to-date on the latest developments in their field.

We take pride in developing a personalized skin care treatment and product regimen for you. Whether you are interested in skin rejuvenation and resurfacing, skin tightening, body sculpting, facials, peels, laser hair removal or other services, your first step is to schedule an aesthetics consultation to discuss your needs, your goals and your timeline. Whether your skin has special needs or not, you will benefit from the expertise and experience of our medical aestheticians.

Microneedling. It sounds scary. Almost like acupuncture for your face, right? We have had many patients that are interested in the benefits of microneedling – collagen stimulation, an improvement in acne scars, fine lines and texture, etc., but who are scared that it may hurt or have quite a bit of downtime.

While watching the MDPen microneedling procedure at Phases, I was intrigued. Initially, Ashli, one of the medical aestheticians, applied numbing cream to her patient. She then very meticulously covered her patient’s cheeks with the microneedling device, moved to her chin, to her other cheek and then up to her forehead. The patient was chatty at first and then ended up falling asleep.

Upon following up with Ashli’s patient, I learned that she had some pinkness for the day of and after she had her MDPen procedure, got a little dry a few days after that, and then started getting multiple compliments on her “glow” at about the 5 day mark. Sign me up!

Being in the industry for almost 12 years, I knew that microneedling was a tried and true procedure. It gained a lot of popularity prior to fractionated lasers, and now has resurged as an alternative to laser treatments for those who needed maintenance or cannot afford a full laser package.

To learn more about microneedling or any of the services or products offered by Phases, please click here to contact Phases Skin Care & Laser Center in Indianapolis by using our quick contact form or call us at 317-848-8101 today.

Welcome back! I hope you’ve had a good summer. I can’t believe it’s coming to a close. Just a few more weeks of BBQs, weekends at the lake and splashing around the pool. I’ve touched on acne over the last few months, so let’s talk about something new.

Let’s go back to the basics of skincare for ALL skin types and conditions and why it is so important. First, it helps with its function. Our skin is the largest living organ of the body, so it has a very big job of keeping what’s inside protected. Therefore, it deserves care to keep it healthy and working properly. By cleansing, you’re removing the buildup of cells which can dull the complexion. Think of a brand new car, shiny and sparkling. Cleanse your skin and it will stay glowing, just like your new car’s paint!

Now we need to hydrate the skin so it can breathe (remember, it’s living). You can use a cream or a lotion to add moisture to the skin and keep it plumped up and healthy. Let’s think of those tires on the car. Maybe the rubber is a little dull and dried out. Putting a little oil on them makes them supple, just like you’d want your skin to be!

For the final step, let’s protect the skin with an SPF. Back to the car and it’s windows, they do have a little UV protection (especially if they’re tinted). Applying a broad-spectrum SPF can protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays, just like the window tint. There are powder and cream sunscreen options available. Some of my favorites are the new tinted sunscreens from SkinMedica and Sunforgettable mineral sunscreen from Colorescience.

We hope your summer has been fun and you’re gearing up for Fourth of July celebrations at home or at the lake house. It’s hard to believe school will be starting soon and summer will be a distant memory.

There are some things that we would LOVE to have as distant memories (old boyfriends, gum on our shoe and bad hair days come to mind), but acne and acne scars are probably at the top of most peoples lists. There are so many options available for treating and, eventually, eliminating those pesky pimples and we want to help! Phases™ aestheticians are the most knowledgeable and truly caring about helping you, your teen and your friends with the right information to create a plan to tackle it for good!

Skincare products are the foundation of a good plan. Couple it with a chemical peel and/or BLU-U light and you will be on your way to clearer skin before the first leaves fall of the trees. For some more options, one of our many lasers can work to smooth out what the acne left behind.

We invite you to come in to let us help start your journey to clear skin!

To learn more about attacking acne or any of the services offered call us at 317-848-8101 today.

May in Indy is full of flowers, the Indy 500, Memorial Day and the end of the school year. It is the month when we celebrate Moms (shouldn’t we ALWAYS celebrate them?).

If you are a mom, an aunt, a sister or a friend, you have probably seen or heard a teen lament about it. They suffer from it and it can be hard for them to know how to take care of it and get rid of it. What is it? Acne. That four-letter word. That thing that you hope no one else sees, so you try to disguise it with bangs, concealers and hats. Look no further than Phases Skin Care and Laser Center and our aestheticians with an extensive knowledge of how to treat the teen acne patient. They have every tool you could imagine to create a plan to help you and your teen get it cleared up before heading back to school in the fall. Skincare? Yes. Chemical peels? You bet. Laser treatments? Of course.

To learn more about teen acne or any of the services offered by Phases, please click here to contact Phases Skin Care & Laser Center in Indianapolis by using our quick contact form or call us at 317-848-8101 today. Let us help you and your teen feel better with clear, acne-free skin.

Spring is (hopefully) upon us and we have talked about the SkinMedica LYTERA Brightening System and chemical peels the past couple months. This month I would like to talk about retinols. There are many myths on why to use them, what to use (or NOT to use) with them and how they really work. We have several to choose from at Turkle & Associates and Phases™ Skincare and Laser Center, so let’s go over a few basics.

First, why would I use a retinol? The simplest answer is that it is an antioxidant that “talks” to the cells and tells them to make more healthy, young cells. It is Vitamin A, for anti-aging and can also help with acne. It “ramps up” the production of new skin cells. This is a key factor in the skin not only acting younger, but looking younger too! They really give you a glow (and who wouldn’t want that?). Everyone can use a retinol; it’s just finding the right one for your skin.

Second, what can I use (or NOT use) with them? It is important to use an SPF 30 whether or not you use a retinol, but especially important is to use other antioxidants, like Vitamin C and E, with your retinol.

Vitamin C requires a low pH to remain stable. Retinol works best in an acidic environment (and skin is naturally more acidic than neutral) therefore, the two work beautifully together to fight free radicals. In fact, your Vitamin C helps keep the retinol from oxidizing and allows it to penetrate deeper into the skin. Magic, right? Science AND magic! How about those AHA’s (alpha-hydroxy acids) and BHA’s (beta-hydroxy acids) you hear so much about? Can you still use those with your retinol and other antioxidants? Absolutely! In fact, when used together they improve the results you get from both.

Lastly, how do they work? Keep in mind, you don’t have to deal with peeling, flaking and redness with retinol use. Retinols work by penetrating deeper into the skin and converting to retinoic acid. If you experience irritation, you should stop using for a few days and hydrate the irritated skin to soothe it and bring it back to “normal”. You can (and should) use a moisturizer as a part of your regular skincare program-but especially when using a retinol.

I hope this has helped dispel some of the myths about retinols. We have several different brands and strengths of retinols to help you on your journey to healthy, glowing skin.